What It Meant
by Emme2589
Summary: 6 months after the humans land back on Earth, EVE returns after a long time away and seems to be upset about something. What happens next spirals out of control until EVE is at the brink of death. Can WALL-E find a way to save her?
1. Chapter 1

_"...that it only...took a moment...to be loved..."_

WALL-E listened absently to his tape of _Hello, Dolly!_ while sifting through his old things for the twentieth time. EVE had been missing for a few days, so naturally, WALL-E couldn't focus on any kind of work. Operation: Recolonize had been swiftly underway for the past 6 months, and the humans were avoiding their previous mistakes, such as capitalism and money systems. It was almost like human evolution had restarted.

But WALL-E couldn't help out the other robots today. EVE was at the forefront of his mind, and this caused him to work much slower than normal. The other upgraded WALL-E units as well as the WALL-As had been tasked with clearing garbage from the encampment area, but so far, WALL-E had found himself unable to help. He looked up to stare at the hole in the ceiling that EVE had blasted in her frantic attempt to save him, and something inside him ached.

"Evah..." he sighed sadly.

Everyone else was noticing, too. M-O would drop by sometimes with the other robots, hoping that something would change. WALL-E could see they were concerned for him, but he didn't care. He just ignored them.

"Wall-E!" M-O slammed his brush against the floor of the truck in frustration.

WALL-E didn't even blink.

M-O made many more frenetic noises before going behind WALL-E and attempting to push him out of the truck, in order to get some kind of reaction from him.

WALL-E in response turned and picked up M-O by his blue backpack, carrying him outside. He dropped the little cleaning bot and went back into his truck.

M-O Wheeled over to WALL-E and made some more frustrated sounds. WALL-E continued to ignore him.

The little robot shook his head sadly. He wheeled to WALL-E's side and gently nudged him with his brush. WALL-E didn't move.

Then he got an idea. M-O dashed to the back of WALL-E's truck and jumped up to the player. He hit the rewind button.

 _"Put on your Sunday clothes, there's lots of world out there!"_

WALL-E shook his head as M-O began to hum along, dancing in little circles around his friend. He tried to ignore him at first, but the tune was cheery, and he'd been upset for far too long. He found himself absently bobbing his head to the beat of the music. M-O's little golden eyes curved upward in a smile as WALL-E began wheeling back and forth, his irritation slowly dissipating. Soon, both of them were spinning around the truck, humming the tune of the chipper song.

When it was over, WALL-E smiled at M-O, giving him a grateful pat on the head. M-O, in turn, lifted his brush enough to give WALL-E a friendly handshake.

"Here." M-O said, gesturing to himself.

WALL-E gave a nod. He felt much better now.

"Wall-E?"

His heart lept at the voice, "Evah!?"

There she was, gliding toward him angelically. WALL-E felt his optics curve into a smile, "Evah!"

She swept him up and spun him around and around, "Wall-E!"

He warbled in happiness, but soon, EVE had set him on the ground again. She made a few dismissive hand gestures before pointing back the way she had come.

WALL-E shook his head in disbelief, "Evah?"

EVE mumbled an apology before gliding into the truck and smiling, taking WALL-E's hand as she sailed past him. WALL-E had known EVE for a long time, so he could tell that her smile was fake. It appalled him, too. Why would she need to fake a smile?

He decided he would find out.

* * *

Long after the sun had set, WALL-E was boxed up in his shelf, silently watching his girlfriend in dormancy. Just hours ago, he had snuck away to recharge, just catching the last rays of sunlight. He did this so he could stay up and see if EVE would try and sneak out. Recharging wouldn't help him stay awake forever, but it gave him an advantage, since it was much easier to go to sleep when his energy wasn't full.

WALL-E was just about to give up and doze off when EVE peeked her blue eyes out of her dormant form. It was too dark to see clearly, so WALL-E was able to keep watching as EVE came out of dormancy and looked around. He stuck his head back into his body just as she floated over to him and laid a gentle hand on his head. Her fingers brushed over WALL-E's arm and lingered over his hand. He just caught her beeping what might have been an apology before she flew away.

He waited just a moment longer before rolling off his shelf to gaze upward. The stars were barely visible through the hole in the roof. He realized this is where EVE must have escaped from, and wondered how he'd get out, knowing the door would make too much noise. He finally noticed that if he stood on his shelf and rolled it up a bit, he could just reach the hole, grab the edge of it, and hoist himself onto the roof. He saw EVE's curved silhouette against the cloudy sky as she slipped into the Axiom.

Currently, the Axiom was only being used for repairing broken robots. The humans were determined to work on their own, without having to rely on technology, so it was mostly abandoned. Why would EVE be heading to the Axiom?

Was she broken?

WALL-E raced off to catch her before she was out of sight. There were two things that drove WALL-E insane; when M-O tried to clean through his precious treasures, and when EVE was upset or in danger.

He wanted to believe otherwise, but it seemed that something was going on with her.

He had to wander for awhile, but he finally caught up to her. Where was she, you ask?

The diagnostics lab.

WALL-E hid in a convenient stash of trash in the corner while he watched EVE with growing anxiety. She darted her eyes around nervously before booting up the computer console. Opening her access panel, she took a cord from the cluster of analyzers and plugged herself in, watching with an aching fear in her eyes. WALL-E was scared, but he forced himself to hold still as numbers and letters flashed across the monitor. All of them reflected off of EVE's screen. All of them made her round LED eyes contort in nervousness.

Finally, one red word stood out among the rest. WALL-E didn't know what the word meant, but he knew it was bad, because EVE lifted her hands to her face in horror. Her head hung in rejection, and she began to shake with stifled sobs. The sound broke WALL-E's heart.

"Why..." her distorted voice rang out in the quiet room, "Why..."

WALL-E wanted nothing more than to run to her and offer comfort, but he held back. He wasn't supposed to be here, and she was keeping this from him. She knew about that word, she knew its meaning, and WALL-E trusted her judgment. All he could do was watch as she cried...and cried...and cried...

Finally, EVE clenched her slender white fingers into tight fists. Her fear turned to anger. Giving out a yell of rage, she unsheathed her ion cannon and shot a nearby pile of refuse. Not satisfied with one shot, EVE proceeded to shoot everywhere around the room, sometimes coming close to WALL-E's hiding spot. Luckily, the deafening sound drowned out WALL-E's screams of terror.

Once the room was completely silent again, WALL-E dared to peek out. EVE was gone. He nearly panicked before noticing EVE out in the hallway. He took one last look at the word still on the screen before wheeling his way back home.

He hated that word.

He hated it, because it hurt EVE.


	2. Chapter 2

WALL-E woke up to the sound of his warning beep. He was low on power.

He did not sleep well the last night. He managed to make it back home before EVE returned, and he couldn't close his eyes until he heard EVE's soft hovering sound from her thrusters, and even then, the thought of EVE emotionally tearing herself apart gave him nightmares. It wasn't until the crack of dawn when he finally found himself drifting off.

Soft giggling filled his auditory sensors, "Wall-E..."

WALL-E pushed his head out of his cubic body to see EVE's smiling eyes. It was still fake, but now he knew why her smile would have to be fake. He rolled forward, struggling to focus his cameras. His head hit the shelf in front of him, and EVE laughed again. It was music to his ears.

At least because of his sleepless night, he didn't have to fake being tired.

EVE watched him for another moment in wonder before she guided him to the hole in the roof, where sunlight was now streaming in. WALL-E felt the warmth and opened his solar panels. It wouldn't make up for the lack of sleep, but it would at least give him enough energy to get through the day.

And today, he would dedicate it to EVE.

His full charge chime sounded and he put away his solar panels, turning to the sleek search probe beside him with concerned eyes.

EVE cocked her head to one side, her smile strained.

"Evah..." WALL-E took her hand, entwining his fingers in hers.

EVE's fake smile fell.

He looked into her eyes. He could tell she was sad, and when EVE was sad, so was he. He pointed to himself with his free hand, then he laid it over hers, still entwined with his.

That was it. EVE broke down, quietly sobbing. WALL-E gave her hand a gentle squeeze, which just made her cry harder. She lay her head on his optics, softly shaking.

WALL-E put his hand on her cheek, his voice barely a whisper, _"Evah?"_

She nodded, stooping to give him a spark-kiss. He sighed happily in response.

He would do whatever it took to make her happy. He hit the play button on his recorder.

 _"And that is all..."_

* * *

 _"A whole life...long..."_

WALL-E found a way to return to work, cubing garbage to clear the way for farmland. Sometimes, he would start a fire with the help of his laser and PR-T's mirror, and often, he would stop to make sure EVE was still happy.

But he was noticing again. Her bright smile was fake.

It pained him, but all he could do was try and keep her happy. Luckily, he was a bit clumsy that day, so it was easy to make EVE laugh. He would often get lots of affection from her when she smiled for real, and his heart soared when he was showered with spark-kisses.

But something was still off. WALL-E would catch EVE looking downcast, her eyes sad little crescents. When she laughed, it sounded forced. Her fingers were laced together. Her head was tilted downward. It seemed that WALL-E couldn't distract her for long, and she would simply remember that word.

That horrible six-letter word.

"Halt!"

EVE snapped her head up, and WALL-E spun his head around to look at the approacher, a SECUR-T bot.

The words, ONCOMING MESSAGE appeared on its screen, followed by a video feed of the captain of the Axiom, Captain McCrea. Normally, he was pretty cheerful, if not a bit tired, but this time-and WALL-E was a bit frightened by this-he was serious. Dead-serious.

"Eve, we need to talk." he said, "Come to the Diagnostics Lab immediately."

WALL-E watched EVE's hands fly to her face in horror.

"And bring Wall-E." he added, "He deserves to know." the feed cut out and the SECUR-T left.

"Evah?"

EVE made no move at first, but slowly, she began to cry again, hiding her face with her hands. WALL-E felt his optics curve downward. Seeing EVE cry was so painful to him. He carefully took both of her hands in his and lifted them away, revealing her very sad and-oddly enough-shame-filled eyes.

She dropped her head until her face was parallel to the ground, squeezing WALL-E's rusty fingers with her own, "Sorry..."

"Oh!" WALL-E exclaimed. He rattled as he shook his head, stooping down so he could make eye contact with her. He gave her arm a soft tug, pointing in the direction of the Axiom.

After another moment, she gave a nod, heading off in that direction without letting go of his hand. Hopefully, he would get some answers soon.

"Eve, why didn't you tell us about this?"

She didn't respond.

"This is serious!" McCrea was saying, "I may not know a lot about robotics, but I do know one thing; This. Is. Bad."

WALL-E nervously rapped his knuckles together. From the tone of the captain's voice, it was more than bad. EVE wasn't even angry, she was just passively quiet. Her fingers were twisting around each other, and her eyes were downward-tilted slits.

"Wall-E, do you know what's wrong with Eve?"

He shook his head, eager to know what made her so upset, and what that dreaded six-letter word was.

"Lemme show you." he woke up the console, still with that word on it, "Computer; voice diagnosis."

A thick heaviness hung in the air as the computer spoke, making EVE flinch and McCrea's brow furrow in worry.

 ** _"CANCER..."_**


	3. Chapter 3

What was that? WALL-E tilted his head to the side. Now he knew the word, but he still didn't know what it meant.

The captain must've picked up on his confusion, because next he said, "Computer; define, 'cancer'."

 _"Cancer:_

 _The disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body._

 _A malignant growth or tumor resulting from the division of abnormal cells._

 _A practice or phenomenon perceived to be evil or destructive and hard to contain or eradicate."_

The first two definitions were still confusing, but the last one was scary. Evil? Destructive? Hard to eradicate?

WALL-E stole a glance at EVE, who was shaking uncontrollably. He tried to take her hand, but she turned away from him. He couldn't even see her face.

McCrea gave a heavy sigh, "Do you get it now?"

WALL-E didn't want to hear any more. He'd had enough. He was sick of it. He was sick of EVE being upset, and he was sick of not understanding.

He was sick of that word.

* * *

There. It was out. He knew.

He knew that she was sick, in fact, she had been for months. She knew that there was a tumor growing in her program. It was destructive, it was evil, and it was most certainly hard to eradicate. She had tried. Every anti-virus and malware protection software she could find, but if anything, those only made it worse. It hurt her, and she thought that if she hid it from WALL-E, she could stop the pain from spreading, like a cancer.

She was wrong.

All that happened was the pain stayed inside, bottled up, not being let out or spilled. It was shaken, shaken until it exploded when that dreaded word flashed across the screen and her anger came out in the form of violence against everything. Her fury blinded her, forcing her into pure rage that she couldn't handle.

EVE was snapped back to reality by an odd noise. It was familiar, but at the same time, oddly foreign. She turned toward the source of the sound. WALL-E was hunched over, his eyes buried in his hands.

She gasped, grabbing his shoulders gently. Crying! He was crying!

"Wall-E!?"

"E-e-v-v-vah..." he leaned into EVE, trying his best to voice his thoughts, "Evvvvah...huuuurt..."

No. She was right. It was much better when WALL-E lived in blissful ignorance. Seeing him cry was about ten times worse than dealing with it herself. Not knowing what else to do, she simply wrapped her arms around him, using one hand to stroke the back of his optics. He continued to cry, even as EVE nuzzled him lovingly. Affectionately.

It hurt.

EVE watched as WALL-E sat outside the Research Lab, tapping his treads against each other in obvious fear. EVE wanted desperately to hover over to him and hold him forever, but she was in the Research lab for a reason. They were going to find the cause of her mysterious cancer and put an end to it.

Well...what she was really afraid of was AUTO. She caught a glimpse of the dreaded wheel as she passed the Lido Deck, through the window of the Captain's Cabin.

She hated him.

Fortunately, WALL-E was with plenty of other bots, and AUTO was deactivated.

EVE lay on the scanner and tried to hold still. Her eyes kept darting to the window, where WALL-E still sat idly. She didn't even notice when the machine lulled her into standby mode, her blue eyes not leaving her little trash compactor until her screen flickered off.

* * *

Cancer.

It was inside EVE, growing, spreading across her programming. It was eating her away, tearing her apart. She tried to hide it...

 _It can easily be treated if caught early, but once it takes over, there's no stopping it. It will..._

He had stopped listening after that. He didn't want to know. He remembered all the years he spent alone. At first, it was only static, but slowly, he had begun to gain awareness. He saw something glimmer among the garbage, and something compelled him to save it, rather than cube it like everything else. That small piece of wonder turned out to be _Hello, Dolly!_.

And one day, he heard that song...the song where the people hold hands...

He wondered what it meant...

And he felt something soft inside of him...a growing ache that wouldn't seem to go away...

It hurt...

WALL-E hadn't recognized the feeling back then, but after a bit of research, he found the human term for it.

He was lonely.

He never wanted to be lonely again. The thought of never seeing EVE's beautiful eyes again, or never getting to hold her hand again, it was too much for him. He wouldn't be able to handle it. If he had to give up all of his treasures, even _Hello, Dolly!_ , just so EVE wouldn't have to die, he would do it with no hesitation.

She deserved that much.

It took an eternity, but the scan completed itself, letting EVE go. She jumped up, flying to WALL-E and nuzzling him affectionately. He warbled in response. The test results weren't friendly.

The computer listed many lines of code that WALL-E didn't understand, but EVE's face was contorted in worry. He knew it must not be good. After a few minutes of staring, her eyes began to lose focus.

What did she have again? She remembered something was wrong with her, but she could not remember the word. It was six letters, right? Or was it?

Then she couldn't read the scan results. She had been communicating in that programming language for years, so why could she not understand it anymore?

She reached for his hand and gripped it tightly. She didn't want to let go for anything, but soon she began to forget why she wanted to hold his hand. She forgot slowly, uncontrollably...directive...classified...name...

Name. She couldn't remember his name.

WALL-E began to notice something odd about his girlfriend. She seemed to be in a daze, not quite sure what was happening. It gave him a very bad feeling, especially when she began to twitch. Soon, her grip on his hand was really tight, almost making the metal grind underneath her slim fingers. Suddenly, she fell onto the ground, shaking.

"Evah?" WALL-E whimpered.

 _Who's Evah!?_

And then she screamed.


	4. Chapter 4

For a moment, WALL-E was simply paralyzed with fear, but he finally came back to his senses and tried to shake her gently, wanting to get her out of whatever state she was in.

"Evah!"

EVE seemed as though she was trying to say something, but her metaphorical tongue was tied.

"GO-4! Get her to the repair ward, NOW!"

WALL-E clung to her hand, feeling dizzy from the noise, but also in agony over EVE's suffering. The chaos grew to such severity that it was hard to distinguish anything any more, when finally, she choked out what she had wanted to say...

 _"H...h...elp...me..."_

That was the last thing he caught before her screen flickered off and GO-4 carried her away. He wanted to chase after her, hold her tight, never let her go even if the world was crumbling around him (and in a way, it was).

But he couldn't move. The pain was so great, it froze his treads. It dug deep in his little robo-soul.

Watching his poor girl being carried away from him...

He couldn't leave until EVE was well out of sight.

ooo

WALL-E...he never questioned what it meant to be a waste allocator, but what about just WALL-E? Not just as something, but as someone. He remembered when he found the plant. He didn't know what it was at the time, but he could tell that it was special. It was green. He had never seen that color before. He had never seen anything so soft, swaying in the breeze like it was waving hello. He was gentle with it as he pulled it out of the ground, carrying it to his cooler. And, as he stroked one of its small leaves, he couldn't help but wonder...

Is there more?

He had survived for 700 years...all he did was cube and collect...cube and collect...cube and collect...

Was there more to his life than just what he was instructed to do?

He got his answer that very same day.

EVE...

 _Eve..._

She might be dying...she might be dead...

He knew what it meant...he knew...

He was snapped out of his train of thought when he felt something pushing him. It was M-O, trying to grab his attention. His yellow eyes were curved downward in a worried frown. He remembered always being annoyed with WALL-E. Who wanders around covered in dirt all the time!? But it was so hard to hate him. He had been through so much, it just wasn't fair.

M-O nudged WALL-E again, trying his best to offer comfort. WALL-E wanted to ignore him, but he was feeling the sorrow again, shaking him, trying to get him crying again.

"Wall-E!"

The captain.

"Wall-E! Wall-E you have to come quick!" the captain was panting, apparently having run here, "Eve is awake and she's calling for you!"

He peeled out of there faster than a jet engine.

It didn't take long before he heard her, "WALL-E! WALL-E!"

"EVAH!" he screamed, "EEEVAAAH!"

He made his way to the repair ward, where her voice echoed painfully across the corridor. The last time he'd been in the repair ward, there was a long room with another round room at the end, each with slots where a broken robot would wait to be repaired. This time though, all the slots were empty, except the one near the end, where EVE lay. WALL-E wasted no time rushing to her side.

EVE was no longer screaming. Instead, she was softly whimpering, "Wall-E...Wall-E...Wall-E..."

WALL-E took her hand and gently squeezed it. She relaxed a little at the touch, trying to calm herself down. EVE's simulated breathing was the only sound that could be heard, shaking with pain and stress. WALL-E didn't say anything either, he just held her hand as she tried to compose herself.

She remembered his name. He was here. That's all that mattered to her at the moment.

"Wall-E...Eve..." the captain appeared again, panting profusely, "I...*pant*...I think I know a way that...*pant*...you can help..."

WALL-E perked up at that. He'd do whatever he could for EVE.

"...*pant*...Listen...your laser is precise enough that you could potentially cut the cancer out!" he explained, finally catching his breath.

This news made WALL-E somewhat apprehensive. Of course he would help EVE, but could he? Would he be able to?

EVE squeezed WALL-E's hand, a small smile on her eyes.

WALL-E looked to the captain and pointed to himself with his free hand, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah..." the captain explained, "We've tried to get hospital robots to cut out the infected area, but EVE always panics. I've had to send quite a few robots here from her flailing arms. We can't even put her in standby mode! She always wakes up long before the procedure is over."

WALL-E stole a glance at EVE. She seemed calm to him.

Then again...she loved him...

And...

He nodded.

He loved her too.


	5. Chapter 5

WALL-E began to hear a rattling sound as the smell of burning metal filled his senses. His laser was swift at work, cutting a round hole in EVE's head. The cancer was growing right behind her screen on the right side. WALL-E was terrified when that was pointed out. If he cut in the wrong place, he would never see her perfect blue eyes again.

He finally realized that the rattling noise was from his hands shaking, and he noticed that his eyes were beginning to burn. He had to stop.

"Wall-E?" EVE asked, concerned.

WALL-E tried to calm himself, but his processor was loud in his auditory sensors.

"Are you ok, Wall-E?" Captain McCrea lay a hand on his shoulder, "You need to take a break?"

There were a few moments where WALL-E waited for his vision to clear. Once he stopped shaking, he was back to work, sawing the corrupt data off of EVE's robotic brain. It wasn't even like it was hard, his laser used less than 1% of his power...it was just the pressure of trying to save someone so beloved to him. Meanwhile, EVE was trying hard to hold still, but she could feel herself shaking too. She could also feel the pressure on her circuits where the tumor was being cut. The only reason she was able to keep herself so still was because she knew WALL-E was right there.

How could she be afraid?

Well, WALL-E was.

It took an eternity, but finally, the tumor was gone, EVE's head was sealed up again, and everyone could finally relax. EVE rose her eyes to meet WALL-E's, gripping his hand for comfort. It was gone. It was finally gone. She lifted herself up into the air, not taking her eyes off WALL-E, and smiling the entire time.

"Good job, WALL-E." McCrea said, "That was some precise incisionry there!"

WALL-E buzzed with glee.

"Hey-ey! Eve!" McCrea held a jar in his hands with a severely damaged piece of robotics in it, covered in acid and salty residue, "WALL-E cut this out of your head!"

EVE smacked him with her closed hand.

"Haha! Ok, you're right, that's gross. I'll just get rid of this, then."

And just like that, WALL-E and EVE were alone in the repair ward.

"Home?" EVE asked.

"Uh huh!" WALL-E replied excitedly. All the stress had really worn him out, so he was definitely ready to leave.

As EVE passed by the lido deck, she again caught a glimpse of the dreaded wheel.

No, no...that wasn't worth worrying about.

WALL-E was what mattered.

* * *

EVE held WALL-E as they watched _Hello, Dolly!_ together for the millionth time, lovingly stroking his optics with one hand and holding his with the other. She hadn't been this happy in months, before she first saw that dreaded red word flash across the screen. Well, really, it didn't matter what she was doing, as long as WALL-E was in her arms.

When the movie was over, EVE turned off the player, then she gave WALL-E a spark-kiss before tucking him into his shelf. She watched him fall asleep immediately, having been completely drained of his energy. She admired him for using everything he had to save her. She loved his slanted eyes that always sparkled with curiosity, and his pure heart made EVE's heart melt. He always knew how to make her smile.

EVE recalled when she was a vegetation evaluator. She wasn't really just EVE. She wasn't "Evah" yet. She was a machine with a directive. The plant was all she cared about. She didn't pay attention to the cubic robot that followed her around. He didn't pose a threat, but he also didn't help her with her mission, so she just let him linger in the background, not paying him much attention.

When she couldn't find a plant anywhere (and a magnet tried to hold her captive) she almost felt something. It was unfamiliar to her, and she didn't like it. It was cold and achy, like a really bad rainstorm. It engulfed her a bit, not enough to entrap her completely, but enough that she could tell, she wasn't just a machine. Not anymore.

She was feeling defeated.

So when she heard WALL-E clear his throat beside her, she was almost too eager to ask his directive.

And, even when her directive took over, he protected her. He sheltered her and cared for her. He worried about her. She remembered reviewing her security camera footage of the two people holding hands.

She wondered what it meant.

And seeing the worry on WALL-E's face, in his curious eyes, it made her feel something else. She knew what it was like to feel defeated, annoyed, afraid, victorious...but this new one...it was the best feeling by far...it was warm and soft, like a quilt, gentle like a breeze, the freedom on her arms from sailing through the air...

She was very lucky to have him. After all, he taught her the most important emotion of all...

He taught her love.

EVE gave WALL-E one last kiss before she went dormant, feeling the exhaustion catch up to her. She had screamed so much that her voice chip was sore, but she didn't really care about that at the moment.

Because she was expecting sweet dreams...

And instead she got a nightmare...


	6. Chapter 6

_All the cheering was just a blur in EVE's fogged mind. She didn't even notice that the captain was walking, and she didn't notice when he fought the autopilot. All she could hear was the echo of that horrific sound;_

Crunch!

 _She was trying her best to keep the giant passenger vehicle from crushing all the humans, but her arms were beginning to feel like jelly. She couldn't properly focus, and at any moment, she worried that her fingers would snap. The weight was threatening to crush her, to knock the wind out of her. She wanted nothing more than to rush to WALL-E and pry him out of the holo detector, but she couldn't move yet, or everyone else would end up like him!_

 _She remembered her crippling fear. The fear that it was already too late. Finally, the ship was righted and EVE dashed to WALL-E, trying to free him from AUTO's grasp..._

 _"Plant! PLANT!"_

* * *

WALL-E woke with a start, instantly terrified by EVE's scream. He jumped up, hitting his head on the shelf above him, "Evah!"

He heard something near the back of the truck fall down, so he rushed to investigate. EVE's head, body, arms, and fingers were writhing on the floor, detached from everything else, but still shaking violently.

"WALL-E!" EVE screamed, "Help! HELP!"

WALL-E only froze for a moment longer before stooping to collect EVE's scattered body parts. He pushed her head back onto her body and stored her arms and hands in his portable cooler. Stowing the cooler on his back, he lifted the rest of her and rushed to the Axiom. It was difficult keeping her in his arms, since she was shaking so much, but he refused to let go. He would _not_ drop her.

He had no idea what time it was, but he didn't realize that when he rushed through the small village occupied by all the humans, he managed to wake up a few people. Maybe it also had to do with EVE screaming at the top of her non-existent lungs. Only heavy sleepers missed it completely.

WALL-E wasted no time getting EVE to the repair ward. He dropped her off in the same empty space as before.

"Wall-E!" EVE pointed down the hall. On the far wall, there was a distress signal installed that would call for help.

"Huh?"

"There!"

WALL-E looked around until he saw what she was referring to, "Oh!" he rushed to it and slammed his fist down on the distress button. A loud siren began to blare and half the Axiom sprung to life, buzzing with activity. As soon as the signal was triggered, WALL-E dashed back to EVE's side, refusing to leave her again.

EVE wasn't screaming any more, but she was trying to. All that escaped her speakers was a soft squeak, _"Wall-E..."_

"What's going on!?"

Captain McCrea.

"Evah..." WALL-E shook. What was wrong with her!? He had cut out her cancer, hadn't he!? She was fine yesterday! She was supposed to be fine!

"Do you have any idea what time it is!?" McCrea exclaimed, "What happened!?" he rushed to EVE's other side, flipping a switch on the side of the machine next to him, "Let's get her to the diagnostics lab, _now!"_

WALL-E accompanied EVE all the way there, but once they arrived, EVE was taken and WALL-E was locked out. He screamed, banging the giant metal door with his fists, " Evah! _Evah!_ EEEVAAAH!"

"Wall-E! Calm yourself!" McCrea ushered the panicked robot away from the door, "Hey! She'll be alright! They gotta figure out why the problem is back, ok? Just settle down..."

WALL-E tried to struggle, but he knew the captain was right. He just had to reassure himself that EVE was in good hands.

Eve.

She never seemed to mind that he mispronounced her name. She was alright with being Evah. He sometimes felt bad that it was hard for him to say it right, but she giggled often when he did, so he didn't mind either.

Evah.

McCrea sighed, "Listen, Wall-E...I know you're worried about her, but remember that our technology here is top-notch! You have a better chance of getting hit by a meteorite than Eve has to get hurt from those robots. Alright? So calm down."

WALL-E nodded. It wouldn't do to keep constantly worrying about her. He had already done all he could.

Now all he could do was wait.

* * *

How did this happen!? What went wrong!? EVE could swear that she was asleep, but the whirring of machinery gave her a headache. She almost felt grinding in her head, like someone was sawing into her pain receptors and scooping her circuits out. It was unbearable.

She tried to hold onto something, get some kind of leverage in the darkness, find her beloved WALL-E! But she was frozen as she felt hot-iron sear her brain.

 _She couldn't let go..._

 _Of that iron..._


	7. Chapter 7

_Tap...tap...tap..._

WALL-E 's treads hit together rhythmically. It was all he could think about. He tried to keep his mind blank, because if he thought about anything, it would just remind him of EVE. Everything. It drove him insane, so he just didn't think of anything.

After all, his mind had been empty for almost 400 years. He began to gain awareness when he saw that tape of _Hello, Dolly!_ among the trash, and even then, it was just mild interest. Nothing complex. Then, 400 years ago, he began to feel curiosity. 200 years ago, he began to feel fear, contentment, and sadness. 50 years ago, he learned joy, anger, frustration, and kindness.

6 months ago, he learned loneliness.

It was the worst of them all.

Then he learned another, more complicated emotion. It stirred within him like a hurricane, crashing against a cliff. It was strong enough to blow him away, but sweet enough to be refreshing. It was calmer than Hal's chirping, warmer than the safety of his shelf, softer than a pillow, more lively than a charge in the morning in the hot sun, more comforting than _Hello, Dolly!_ could ever hope to be.

He didn't know what it was at the time, but he learned this emotion as soon as he first laid his eyes on EVE.

She took his breath away.

He couldn't help himself. He started to fall deeply in love with her. It was the first robot he had seen in 695 years, when all his fellow WALL-Es mysteriously shut off. Just like that, gone. As he watched her, he admired everything, from her sleek white figure to her piercing blue eyes. She moved with such grace and purpose, it was hard to ignore. Her body beautifully reflected the sun, creating a stark contrast to the surrounding dirt and trash. She was like an angel.

He laughed when he saw her interacting with Hal. She was startled at the noise and tried to shoot at him. He cubed up as a last resort.

She beeped at him, and he slowly emerged.

She still looked angelic. Even though her eyes were narrowed and her ion cannon was pointed right at him, she was perfect.

He reached out to retrieve Hal, and then he watched her scanner glaze over him. After which she left without another word. He wanted to befriend her.

He wanted to hold her hand.

That was all he ever wanted.

"Wall-E..." McCrea said.

He snapped his head up, jumping down from his seat, "Evah!?"

The captain sighed, "Um...she's, uh...not well..."

"Huh?"

"You...you see..." McCrea tried to voice what he was saying, "Uh...her condition, it won't...stabilize..."

WALL-E made a sound of distress.

"Listen, Buddy..." he continued, his voice soft and slow, "I'm sorry, but it's just getting worse over time. Her cancer is back full-force. It seems that cutting it out did nothing, or even made it worse."

"Ohhh..."

"I..." The captain frowned, his brow furrowed worriedly, "I'm so sorry..."

"Huh...?"

"We can't save her..."

 _We can't save her..._

Eve...

WALL-E had been wrong before. Loneliness was not the worst emotion he could feel.

This was.

Whatever it was, it cut him deep. It tore through him like a bullet, hacking away at his circuitry and destroying the mind he got from all those lonely centuries. It was harder and colder and more devastating than any other emotion he'd ever felt.

"WALL-E, do you want to talk to her?"

Nod.

"Ok. Come with me."

* * *

She was completely still. Her screen was blank. EVE was connected to the computer, where stress signals were blinking on and off, showing diagnostics of her crippling condition. She almost looked like she was sleeping.

But he could tell that she was awake. He knew because she turned in his direction when the door opened, making a small sound that could pass for inquiry.

"Eve, Wall-E wants to talk to you."

Her eyes opened just a little.

"I'll leave you two alone." McCrea stepped away sadly, closing the door behind them.

WALL-E slowly wheeled over to his dying girlfriend, watching her eyes. They were no longer bright blue. They had darkened to a deep cobalt color. She moved very slowly and clumsily as she reached for him, beckoning him closer. She seemed very weak.

"Evah..." he took her outstretched hand, trying hard not to cry again. He had already used up half his total power supply on that, "Evvvvvvv-ah..."

She shushed him softly, trying to squeeze his hand, but was too weak to do so.

Then, WALL-E jumped back with a start.

Her eyes reflected anger.

"Evah?" WALL-E asked, "aaanngeeerrryyyyy?"

"Huh?" something sparked out of EVE and she cringed.

The hot-iron feeling was back.

"Oh!" WALL-E jumped back, worried she was mad at him.

"Ugh..." EVE shut her system off momentarily, "Wall-E?"

He had cubed up and was shivering.

"Wall-E..." EVE stroked the top of his head gently until he came back out, "Not you..."

"Oh..." he came back out, "Whooo?"

She began to shake again. She had been feeling a new and unfamiliar emotion for a long time, but she just now figured out why and where it came from. It was hotter than the largest fire, harder than concrete, more crushing than the holo detector.

Hate.

The machine connected to EVE began to blare loudly, prompting the captain to return along with the other robots.

"Evah!" WALL-E cried.

"Ah!" EVE shook so much that loud clanking could be heard. Robots surrounded her until WALL-E could no longer see her among all the activity.

WALL-E had never been so terrified. He was about to lose the most important part of his entire life. He was alone for 695 years, and EVE was everything to him! He couldn't be alone again! He just couldn't!

"Wall-E! We know what the problem is!" McCrea shouted over all the noise, "It's hatred! She hates Auto!"

"Huh!?"

"Her hatred is what caused the so-called 'cancer'! Her hardware broke down because she can't forgive him!" McCrea paused to catch his breath, "If she can let go of her anger, then we might be able to save her!"

WALL-E shoved one of the other robots aside to look at EVE again, "Evah! Ffffoooorrrgiiiivvvve!"

"Huh?"

"Eve, you have to stop hating Auto! It's killing you!"

EVE's eyes narrowed to slits.

"Stooop!" Wall-E shook her, "Evah! Stop!"

EVE shook her head, "C-c-caaan't..."

"Eve, if you don't, you will die!" McCrea scolded, "Do you really hate Auto more than you love Wall-E!?"

The activity in the room grew more and more dense to the point when all sound was drowned out. It all gave WALL-E a massive headache, but he refused to let go of EVE's hand. He held onto her arms while her screen flashed and malfunctioned, and a loud sound of static burst from her speakers.

EVE was deep in an internal struggle. She wanted to forgive AUTO, but she had held onto that anger for so long that getting rid of it felt impossible. She tried to right herself, but everything was blurring, contorting, blinding. It was dizzying and confusing.

She finally found her eyes again, and when she did, emotion crashed over her in waves.

WALL-E's expression was broken. He didn't look any different than he had before, but something in his eyes was pleading. He looked as though he had never been happy in his life. He was old and broken on the outside. He was covered in scratches and dents and rust, but he never lost that wonder in his eyes. In a way, he was at the beginning of his life. His curiosity made him seem like just a child, taking in the world with wide eyes, watching for something that would pique his interest. He was sweet and innocent, and he could find great things in odd places.

But now, he seemed much older. His eyes reflected age, showing sorrow and pain. He was normally spunky and energetic, but now he almost looked like a grieving widower.

In a way, he would become one soon.

Before blacking out, she heard one last plea from her sweetheart...

 _"Eve!"_


	8. Chapter 8

Sometimes WALL-E wondered what his life would be like if he had never met EVE. Would he just keep going on forever? Would he cube every last piece of garbage on the Earth until he reached his expiration date? Or would he complete his task and then realize that he had no purpose anymore? He would always dismiss the thought, since there was no reason to be upset over an impossible situation.

But...

What if WALL-E knew her, and then had to live without her? Would that be worse or better?

 _"Put on your Sunday clothes, we're gonna ride through town!"_

WALL-E yanked the tape out of the player and threw it across the room. It hit the far wall and clattered to the floor. He didn't even care if it was broken. It was nothing to him anymore. He wrapped his arms around himself, shaking with uncontrollable sobs. It was nothing to him if he couldn't hold her hand.

EVE's curved, sleek, white, flawless hand.

He always felt so relaxed and comforted when her hands caressed his optics, her screen smoothly sliding across his eyes. Her arms around his shoulders was like a security blanket...her face pressed up against his...that spark that connected them for just a moment...

And now...?

Now...

Now he was trapped in Oblivion. The ground had opened up and swallowed him whole. He was endlessly falling with no way out, no way to stop. It was consuming him.

EVE was all he had. She was a part of him, and now she was gone.

His very depressing train of thought was interrupted by banging on the front door. WALL-E did not want to open it up, but the constant loud noise was giving him another headache, so he wheeled to the door and pulled the lever.

"Wall-E!"

He blinked. It was M-O! M-O had come to visit with the other robots! D-FIB, HAN-S, PR-T, V-QM, VN-GO, BRL-A, and L-T had all come with M-O to cheer him up.

WALL-E just glared at them, reaching to close the door again.

"NO!" M-O jumped up to knock WALL-E's hand away from the lever, "Here! _Help!_ "

WALL-E shook his throbbing head, "Go."

"No!" M-O snapped stubbornly, "Stay!"

WALL-E lowered his eyelids before kicking M-O across the doorway. He landed on his head.

 _FOREIGN CONTAMINANT!_

"AAAAAHHH!" M-O furiously scrubbed his screen.

WALL-E shut the door without another thought. He planned to sleep until he ran out of power. At least then he'd be with EVE.

But the rest of the robots rushed the door before it could close completely, forcing it to open again. WALL-E rattled in annoyance.

"HEEELP!" M-O bombarded inside, looking absolutely furious. Who just dumped someone out in the dirt for trying to help!? Despicable!

"No!" WALL-E argued.

"Yes!"

 _"No!"_

 _"Yes!"_

"NOOOOO!" WALL-E collapsed against his shelf and sobbed.

M-O jumped back, a worried frown on his LED's. Never had he cared about anything other than dirt before he met WALL-E. Yet, when he was in the garbage disposal, the cubic robot still covered in dirt, he found himself cleaning him as gently as possible. There was a small voice in his head that was telling him, this robot was badly hurt. He should be careful.

And now here he was, caring more about another soul than his programmed mysophobia.

M-O blinked a few times, slowly approaching the emotionally broken trash compactor. He nudged him gently, "Wall-E..."

WALL-E opened his eyes to look down at his friend.

"M-O...here..." he gestured to the others, "Us...here..."

Wall-E made a distressed sound, lifting his eyes to the others there. They all had a concerned demeanor. They were worried about him.

V-QM pushed the discarded VHS towards WALL-E, softly beeping the tune of _Put On Your Sunday Clothes_. WALL-E knew they were trying to help, but it just made him think of EVE again. He kicked the tape against another wall, near one of the revolving shelves.

"Wall-E..." M-O complained.

WALL-E shook his head, sighing softly. He retreated to the back of his truck, sitting down against the wall.

M-O followed him, squinting with concentration, "Cooommmfffooorrrt..."

WALL-E wanted them to leave, but he was done. He couldn't stand the crippling loneliness anymore. So instead, he gave a slight nod.

"Woopy!" the excited cleaning bot ushered the others forward, and they all came together for a big group hug.

It wasn't quite the same as being embraced by EVE, but WALL-E was comforted. He leaned his head against VN-GO and closed his eyes. The pain wasn't gone, not even close, but at least he knew EVE wasn't his only friend. He had eight robots around him, all holding him and comforting him. It was reassuring.

He wasn't alone anymore. Even if a large chunk of his life was missing, she wasn't the only one.

Maybe he could learn to heal.


	9. Chapter 9

"WAAAAALL-EEEEEEE!"

Captain McCrea was sprinting as fast as he could through the village he lived in. His legs ached and his lungs burned, but he wouldn't dare slow down. He had to deliver this news as soon as possible. Whatever! It's good exercise!

"WALL-E! Wall-E, you'll never guess what happened! WALL-E!"

Meanwhile, WALL-E was holding his tape of _Hello, Dolly!_ , honestly unsure of how to think of it now. On one hand, it was the tape that kept his developing mind busy while he worked, later to become a jewel in his relationship with EVE. But at the same time, those memories were becoming painful. He wanted to keep it, but he didn't know how much more heartache he could take-!

"WALL-E!"

"Oh!" WALL-E hit his head on the nearby shelf in surprise, which in turn knocked a sleeping M-O onto the floor, which pushed BRL-A over, which surprised PR-T so she stumbled backwards, basically creating a domino effect across WALL-E's truck until a snare drum fell off the shelf and hit WALL-E on the head again, putting a crack in his left camera lens.

WALL-E moaned, sliding down until he was lying on his back.

"Wall-E...whoa." McCrea laughed nervously, "What happened here?"

WALL-E growled angrily.

"Ok, I won't ask. Anyway, this is important!"

WALL-E pushed himself onto his treads, not noticing M-O making many annoyed beeps before wheeling away to find a new sleeping spot. The captain had a bright smile on his face, so WALL-E was hopeful that it was good news.

Was EVE-!?

"Eve is alive!"

Everyone perked up, especially WALL-E.

"Evah!"

"Well, come on! What are you waiting for!? Get to the repair ward!"

WALL-E zoomed off fast enough to sting any human's eyes, but he didn't even notice the crack across his lens as he raced as fast as he could, barely daring to hope that it was true.

 _Please...please...please..._

* * *

EVE's system flickered to life slowly and painfully. Her head was pounding, and her anti-gravity felt sluggish and unresponsive. It felt like something in her was still grinding away, destroying her sanity, but she knew the opposite was actually happening. She also knew that the pain would stop if she gave up, but there was no way in the universe that she would. She saw the pain in WALL-E's eyes, and heard the pain in his voice. His desperate call was still echoing in her head;

 _"Eve!"_

She had to wake up.

For him.

She didn't even think about that evil wheel. All her thoughts were hyper-focused on WALL-E. His worn metal body, his angular grey hands, his slanted curious eyes. She didn't see him as an old garbage robot. In her eyes, he was a hero. He was a knight in worn battle armor, yet he always showed mercy to all those who wronged him. He didn't deserve what happened to him, but he stayed strong and had courage. He believed in kindness.

And the thought of being the one who broke him was too much for her.

EVE lay in the slot in the repair ward, thinking about WALL-E while staring at the ceiling. She blinked every now and then, waiting patiently for her hero to arrive. She knew that once he got the news, he'd break down the walls trying to get to her. It was just a matter of how fast McCrea could deliver the message.

"Evah!?"

She turned in his direction and smiled. It was her. She still seemed weak, and she looked very tired, but she was alive.

WALL-E was frozen at first, staring in silent awe, but he couldn't hold back for long. He was at her side in less than a second, "Evah! Evah! Evah!"

EVE giggled (a sound that WALL-E lived for) while she stroked his optics, and he shivered at the touch. With her other hand, she took WALL-E's and squeezed it. It had strength behind it.

EVE ran her thumb over WALL-E's broken camera lens, "Thank...you..."

"Huh? Evah?"

EVE smiled sweetly at her sweetheart. Her hero.

WALL-E lay one worn hand on her cheek. His angel.

"Wall-E!"

M-O and McCrea had joined the rogue robots and were now in the repair ward with the two love birds. M-O was the one who had shouted WALL-E's name.

"Hey, you two!" McCrea grinned, "Eve is gonna have to stay here until she works up her strength again, but trust me, she's on the road to a full recovery!"

WALL-E sighed in relief, nuzzling EVE lovingly.

"Don't tell me you're gonna stay here until she's released!"

WALL-E nodded, his eyes still against EVE's screen.

He shrugged, "Well, I can't say I'm surprised."

WALL-E and EVE were now in peaceful bliss. They were back together, so they didn't notice when McCrea left with the other robots, or when they began to feel sleepy. All they cared about was being in each other's arms.

"Wall-E?"

WALL-E didn't realize that M-O was near his tread. He hadn't left with the others. He had stayed behind until they were gone.

"M-O?"

M-O reached behind his back and grabbed something from his blue backpack. It was WALL-E's tape of iHello, Dolly!/i M-O was apparently concerned with WALL-E discarding his prized possession like it was nothing.

What M-O was hoping was that WALL-E would take the tape back and never throw it away again. He wasn't expecting the 700-year-old robot to grab him and hug him affectionately, but that's what happened.

"Oh!"

"Thhhhaaaannnnk...yoooouuuu..." WALL-E sounded out.

M-O looked up to make eye contact. WALL-E was beaming.

"Uh-huh!" M-O replied excitedly.

* * *

"Wall-E!"

WALL-E spun around at the call. EVE had fallen behind. Her thrusters weren't fully operational quite yet, so she wasn't as fast as she normally was. WALL-E went back and took her hand, slowing to her pace so they could walk together. EVE had just been released from the repair ward, and she only had a few days left before she would make a full recovery. She felt heavy, but her heart was lighter than air. As for WALL-E, he would treat her like a princess until she was well again.

And after that, he would treat her like a queen.

Once they were inside WALL-E's truck, he shut the door and went to insert _Hello, Dolly!_ into the player, stopping to apologize to Michael Crawford for trying to throw away his performance. Once the movie was over, WALL-E let EVE rock him to sleep on his shelf while she hummed _It Only Takes A Moment_.

She stooped to give him a goodnight kiss, _Sweet dreams, Wall-E..._

 _My hero..._

THE END


End file.
